replacing running rigging on a sailboat

Does that mean that replacement time for those is longer? Replacing the running rigging on your sailboat seems like it should be fairly simple, and a decade or two ago, it was. In this article, I'll show you what to expect. Replacing the mast is uncommon, but if you're unlucky and get demasted, it will need to be fixed. Overall, this halyard looked relatively new compared to some of the other lines on this boat, and this sheave probably caused the demise of the previous halyard. Most sailors choose to leave this to a professional rigger, but theres no reason why you shouldnt attempt it yourself if you know the best way to go about it. For dry storage, part of the process can be to shrink wrap your boat. For instance, Madden says, he recently had a customer whose 46-foot cutter had a rigging failure at six years. Where you can really save some money, is on the labor. The latter is very important, as its a common cause of weakness, so wherever possible ensure stainless steel fittings are insulated from an aluminum mast. Did you know that rope halyards are easier to handle and significantly lighter than wire halyards. You can't eliminate all risk on a sailboat and how to make that call will be different bassed on an individual's risk tollerance. It wears with time due to UV exposure, flogging, strain from the wind, and regular use. It sounds to me that the question is when, not if you will go for new rigging. Send messengers up mast for in-mast rigging - 3/2018 They can also crack under the constant tension, particularly if the rig has been pumping in rough seas or if the toggles that ensure proper shroud alignment have seized and cant move freely. You can also use sacrificial covers to protect halyards from clutch damage,. What would be the maintenance cost if you were on a tight budget? The bottom of the top half just slides into the top of the bottom half. Masthead sloop, single spreader, 2 cap shrouds, 4 lowers, r/r forestay, single backstay. They weigh less and take up less room. This produces an easy-to-handle rope that is strong and durable. Remove old lifelines and frayed running rigging. A detailed rig check takes no more than two hours or so to completeabout as long as it takes to provision the boat with a weeks food suppliesonly the result of not doing it can be a good deal more drastic! Normal rigging knives and hot knives are almost useless, all turning blocks and sheaves must have a diameter of at least 8 times the line diameter, old sheaves, turning blocks and other hardware will probably not be strong enough for high tech line, high tech line can cost up to $10 per foot. This number is reached by assuming that the average cost for materials is around $1,500, 32 hours to fabricate the rigging, and 30 hours to install the rigging. Now is a good time to install all new cotter pins or rings to leave no doubt as to the integrity of your connections. The task of replacing the standing rigging on a sailing yacht may seem daunting but there is a procedure to follow that can make it a relatively straight forward process for anyone who is reasonably practical. Down Haul. If the wire in a stay or shroud has stretched to the point where theres no room for further adjustment, make sure you compensate for this when replacing the wire so that at least one-third of the turnbuckle body is open to accommodate adjustments when the rig is fully tensioned. The three most commonly used types of attachments are swaged and mechanical fittings for wire, and cold heads for rod. If your boat is in a full cradle, however, this shouldnt be an issue. It requires more careful consideration of condition, usage, and inspection for signs of failure. This one didnt. If you want a life raft, that's another $1,500. If you need to replace the mast and boom, prepare to spend anywhere between $15,000 - $25,000. The 150 Genoa sheets were 35 feet each as Faster suggests but my halyard lines, which are wire and rope were only 40 feet of rope. With the tension off its a lot easier to waggle the terminal around and check closely for cracks, wear, distortion or corrosion. For a 26' sailboat, that's just 500 bucks. Overall condition is good with some kinks here and there. This was most likely caused by something sharp and pointy that poked through the cover and caught on the core. Winter storms and ice can damage the hull and mast as well. The easiest place to work on your rig is on the ground. There are some question as to whether or not you should replace your turnbuckles along with the wire. Listing Results for Sailing & Rigging and ENG1 Medical Certificate in Marans, Levallois Perret and Cap D'Agde Ground tackle is a complete system, including the anchor itself, the rode (chain, rope, or some combination thereof, read more, French builder Dufour Yachts has rolled out another new design bringing their line to eight models from 32 to 61 feet. Most engines will last you about 20 years, depending on the amount of use and whether you use it properly. On modern boats, chainplates are fitted outboard (right) and covered with a plate that lets water drain. Since then I've enjoyed sailing very much - and I've never been afraid of the water again. I ended up just replacing all of the standing rigging through rigginonly.com in Fairhaven Ma. I recently sailed on a boat that had rust around the wire/swage on all the shrouds. Youll need about 500 feet for an average 30 footer. Contact us Running Rigging & Cordage to Order . Outboard starters run from about $100 - $500. The theory is that youve crushed it so tightly that all the wires inside have just merged into one solid piece of stainless, Madden says. Attach as many of the rigging lines as possible to the masts, booms, and gaffs. From canvas and cushions to rigging and hardware by top suppliers like Lewmar, Schaefer, Gray, Ronstan, and more. A rope with a Dyneema core (SK 78 or better) with a polyester cover that can be removed from the working ends would be best. For instance, for an offshore bluewater boat, Madden recommends 10 years, and for a serious coastal cruiser, more like 12. However, larger boats of 30 feet and up will cost considerably more. Yes, doing it yourself will theoretically save money. You cannot use a mechanical fitting on rod rigging. The boat owner or previous rigger had clearly replaced the old line without looking for the source of the chafe. If you dont have that you may be able to find it on line or on line at your boat class owners association. I personally take stock of a pleasure boat's components and their age and will not load an older boat's rigging as much as I would a newer one. The mechanical terminals most commonly used by DIY riggers are Sta-Lok and Norseman terminals. Stainless steel needs oxygen to prevent crevice corrosion, so dont overdo it with tape (left); enough to cover the cotter pin will suffice (center). I live in Friesland, The Netherlands, which is famous for its great lakes and lots of sailing opportunities. Copyright 2023 ImproveSailing.com By taking on the labor yourself, you'll probably save as much as $2,000 on the re-rigging cost, he says. Lastly, check your boom, starting with the gooseneck, mainsheet and vang fittings, where huge forces are applied when the rig is under load. First, check for cracks (usually longitudinal), particularly if the terminal looks misshapen or the stay is misaligned in any way. So how often should standing rigging be replaced? Money well spent. What kind of end fittings? Likewise, if you already have wire with fittings that accommodate your boat and mast, stick with wire. The cost of replacing the standing rigging is, on average, $4,000 every 10 years. I'll explain each line item in detail later on. About us Good quality cruising sails will need to be replaced every 10 years or so. When I thought about it this way, it seemed easy to give ourselves 20 years of confidence for our Lake Erie boat, rather than take the risk of waiting. For a medium-sized boat (30-50 feet), the cost will be somewhere between $2000 and $4000. The mechanical fasteners are great in that you can terminate and then look inside to be sure its formed correctly, so you do have a way of inspecting your work, Madden says. It is very flexible and easy to handle, and is still the line of choice for most applications on cruisers and club racers. The annual maintenance cost is $2,000 - $3,000 for most boats, but the actual total annual cost is $3,000 to $7,000. And if you get a young, strong, enthusiastic gorilla on a halyard winch, he could pull the headboard out of the sail, damage the sheave at the masthead or pull the turning block at the base of the mast out of the deck. Check by sighting up the backside of the mast to see how straight your spar is side to side. However, they generally cost more than a swaged fitting; Herman says while Hi-MODs newer mechanical fittings are definitely more user-friendly to assemble, theyre twice the cost of a swaged fitting. Some riggers will recommend swaged fittings for the mast end of the rigging and mechanical fittings at the deck level: Corrosion is less prevalent at the top of the mast, and you can more easily and regularly inspect mechanical fittings at deck level, where theyre frequently subjected to salt water. But Cockerill says it quickly becomes evident whether an owner feels comfortable enough to do the work. With chainplates its often not the actual hardware that fails, but the structure that supports them. Add winches and UV rays and the wear and tear can be significant so it's important to use a quality line. Its when the leeward side starts flopping around that youre asking for trouble., Stainless steel has a finite number of cycles essentially, movements, whether fore and aft or side to side. Please try again. Few places on the planet have such a devoted, diverse, and downright joyful yacht racing season as the island read more, Ive never laughed so hard as I have on some of my charters, but its typically only funny after the fact. Inspect the area around tang plates and toggle fittings for cracks, preferably using a magnifying glass. My belief is that you should be replacing your sailboats standing rigging every 10 to 15 years. But this time frame also is variable, depending on the boats purpose and use. Check and make sure the sheaves run freely, that the bearings are not worn oval and that the retaining pins are secure. You want a reliable boat, which means you'll fix anything that needs fixing immediately. The life span of rigging depends on how heavily a boat has been sailed and on the care taken with tuning. Most recent receipt was for lower stays 10 years ago. This site is owned and operated by Truly Content. As I have done a fair amount of club racing, my personal preference would be to use any of the above products for everything except the halyards and then go for a lighter, low stretch, high tech product such as New England Ropes T-900 for the halyards and get the eye splices done professionally. As you work your way down the mast, take a glance at the mainsail track to see if its in good condition and well secured. Top manufacturers of swaged fittings are Hayn Marine Rigging Products, Alexander Roberts and C. Sherman Johnson. First, its easier to fix in remote places and on your own. This small cruiser is well built, easy to handle and relatively economical to maintain. The Rigging Company gears much of its sales to DIY sailors and is beginning an e-commerce site to cater specifically to handy individuals. The deciding factor of how much will this cost exactly is whether you can simply bolt the new engine in or whether you have to adjust all other parts, including shaft logs, exhausts, electrics, and so on. The short answer is, lithium batteries perform better and last longer than many lead-acid batteries. Also, there are a lot of costs you can save on substantially if you do simple maintenance yourself or have a simple boat. With the forestay removed, take the opportunity to fully service your headsail furling gear as well. Skilled marine technicians charge from $75 - $150 per hour. It does not all wear out at the same rate. Learn all about the dangers of failing to winterize here. If your running rigging has seen better days, now might be the time to replace it. Sampson Ropes make a double braid dacron called XLS, New England Ropes make a similar product called Sta-Set and Yale Ropes product is called Vizzion. This process . What is the average sailboat maintenance cost? Do you hire a pro or go it alone? Your sail area will most likely also be larger, which means your sail replacement will be more expensive. Do a few turns on one side before going to the other and applying an equal number. Copyright 2023 Cruising World. (This is true anywhere there are stainless fittings by the way, so be wary of putting too much tape or tight-fitting covers on them.). This way you wont risk deforming the mast or pulling a fitting out of line. Personally, Im in favor of it, but if you replace the standing rigging frequentlyevery 10 years, saythen it might not be necessary. There are also a few spots where the chafe is more serious. Theres a rule of thumb, but it varies rigger to rigger, says Steve Madden, co-owner of M Yacht Services in Annapolis and the head of its M Rigging division. This halyard had been wrapped around a shroud and tightened to prevent it from slapping against the mast while at the dock. [advertisement]. All you need is two blocks (pulley attachments) attached forward on both sides, ideally near the toerail, and enough line to run from the boom attachment up to the blocks on each side and then back to the cockpit. Yes, its unlikely youll suffer a massive failure during normal coastal cruising, but it is good practice to spend a little time looking carefully at each element of your rig at least once a month, or before a cruise lasting more than a few daysparticularly if heavy weather is expected. Spreader tips that are covered can often encourage and hide corrosion as they can trap water and reduce air flow over stainless steel fittings, causing them to corrode. Every time I think Ive seen it all, my people outdo themselves and serve up the unexpected. . The sheave in the halyard exit box is chipped and has sharp edges. ImproveSailing is compensated for referring traffic and business to this companies. If you have (reasonable) evidence that the PO replaced only the worst sections, it's safe to assume that the rest of the rig is getting ancient and failure prone. Some have an extra light sheet for real light winds so the sheet doesnt weigh the jib down. The average cost of a new cruising sailboat is about $250,000. Cleat the jib off on the port side of the mast and the main on the starboard. Usually the owners manual gives you the specifications of all the running and standing rigging. On this site for example someone posted the specs for a Catalina 27 and they were bang on and agreed fully with the specs I got from the Catalina owners association. I'll pull the standing rigging and as much hardware as reasonably possible (tangs, bolts, pins, turnbuckles, etc) and drop it off to a local rigger. This line is double braided polyester, so the cover is responsible for carrying up to 30% of the load. Keep your sailboats mast securely in place by carefully inspecting all of your spars components and replacing parts before you have a breakdown. Its imported and sold through distributors like Alps Wire Rope. The latter may indicate two things: one, that its simply surface rust, which you should be able to polish off, or two, that as the wire was being manufactured, a strand might have picked up some contamination during the process and is compromised, which is cause for concern. These specific components likewise reinforce the spars against increased loads when wind interacts . I actually just replaced the outer turnbuckles. if it were wire you could get away for about half that price. These carry a good deal of compression load, so check their roots for damage and make sure the spreaders arent bent in any waythey should exactly bisect the angle of the shroud. Replacing electronics won't be very important - however, your batteries will need to be replaced more often. Deck hardware consists of the bullseyes, tiller, eye straps, cleats, and so on. It's a really helpful post (with a formula) if you want to know what to expect. Most people that own a sailboat will have to replace the sails and rigging at least once in their lifetime. Inboard engine (and generator) starters cost from $40 - over $1,000 depending on the engine. I should have changed mine sooner than I did. The former need careful scrutiny and often sustain damage from misalignment. Dyneema is especially susceptible to UV degradation. Lets say you ripped a tang out of the mast; you can use a Dyneema loop to create another attachment point. Most insurance companies reckon you should replace your standing rigging about every 10 years. That's just what it is. The customer had had the boat re-rigged, and during a trip to the BVI, the new wire stretched. I would think at the first notice of a few broken strands in more than two of the wires. The reason it is a scheduled item is that a visual inspection prolly won't detect defects. Researchers have announced the discovery of the wreck of the schooner barge Ironton in Lake Huron, sitting upright with masts and rigging still intact and with the lifeboat that could have saved her crew still lashed to the ships stern. VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. Another factor in your DIY decision-making process is simple: peace of mind. Deep cycle batteries (which are best for household functionality) need replacing every 4-6 years and will cost roughly $600. For each diameter of rigging wire your boat requires drill a hole that size near the corner of the block. And never forget the golden rule: if in doubt, sling it out. They are all full re-rigs from 119 wire with new rigging screws (please note all examples given are for supply only): Then we head over to Bacon Sails and Marine Supplies for a tu. When we brought our Oday 25 home ,I knew judging from the lack of care the previous owner shown the rigging might also be suspect. Boats used for coastal cruising, week ending or day sailing may go longer. Any line that you have to handle such as jib sheets, halyards and mainsheet should be about half inch (12mm) diameter for a good grip, and jib sheets and mainsheets should be one of the softer feel products. Generally, they consist of either three or four parts (Sta-Lok has three; Hi-MOD has four), including a sleeve; a cone; in Hi-MODs case, a crown wheel; and the terminal (an eye, fork, stud, etc.). That's a broad range, but if you know what you need for your boat, then you can get a better idea of the cost. That said, some sailors prefer wire over rod for a number of reasons. I'll agree that most of the kinks were created during stepping or prepping for storage. To avoid you have to go cheap on your safety gear, I've put it in the budget for $500. Proper size and material components for the rig are further consideration. And although rod rigging may be able to last longer than wire, it too needs to be serviced every five to six years to get the most life out of it. Have a feel for any rough or sharp edges, especially cotter pin ends that might chafe lines or sails. If line is properly taken care of, it can last many decades. The screw threads and locking nuts need regular cleaning and some light greasing to prevent corrosion. Ensure swivels are working and remove any shackles. Included are halyards, main sheet, headsail sheets, and topping lift. For over 40 years we have specialized in manufacturing standing rigging for all of the major sailboat manufacturers nationwide. Tensioning them will be done later in the rigging sequence. Adhering to the minimum safety requirements shouldn't cost you more than 150 - 250 dollars every 5 years. FWIW, I just replaced all my running rigging on my 30' with 3/8" Sta-Set for thr halyards and 3/8" XLE for topping lift and downhaul, the halyard were wire-rope but now all rope. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. If you want to learn how to make your sailing dream reality within a year, leave your email and I'll send you free updates. Replacement of the rigging components is more frequent and based on inspection. One part of sailboats and yachts that must be inspected, maintained, or even replaced when necessary is the standing rigging. Marlow Ropes in the UK produce Marlowbraid. There are multiple combinations and variations: For instance, if your mast has double tangs, most likely the end fitting will be an eye although it can be a marine eye or an aircraft eye, which differ primarily in shape. A prudent sailor should inspect his or her standing rig at least once each season and should know when the time comes to replace most or all of it. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Swaging must be professionally done, and the result is extremely strong and generally has a long life. It sounds to me that the question is when, not if you will go for new rigging. Chafe occurs when line rubs against a sharp or rough surface. Its one of the most important features on a sailboat, but many owners put standing rigging at the back of their minds when it comes time to do their pre-season safety checks. Why do you want to suddenly replace all your running rigging? Theres no real way of measuring that. On this eye splice, the core has herniated out of the cover. We replaced the line AND the sheave box to ensure that the new halyard wont chafe. On the other hand, it will be very important to maintain hull health, as even small leaks will lead to condensation and mold, which is horrible for your health and living standard. You must log in or register to reply here. I am going to be getting new jib sheets with will be 7/16" for ease of handling. Let me explain. Preparing The Boat For Rigging. Then theres just age, and this factor as a reason to re-rig is more subject to a boats history than anything else. Opti Running Rigging Sheets Halyard Line Sailboat Kit. Prices for new boats typically range from $100,000 to $500,000. The breaking strength of this line is now significantly reduced. Dear improvesailing.com webmaster, Your posts are always well-supported by facts and figures. Also, you'll have plenty of time doing odd jobs yourself, since you'll be living on the boat. It was this mistakefailing to untie the read more, After four long months poised to spring into action at the first sign of the right weather window, Spindrift has announced that its record-breaking circumnavigation attempt wont be possible this year. Hed estimate more like $4,600 for a 40-foot boat, but all of these numbers depend on how much is involved: Are there furlers? You should have the boat itself (the hull), the dagger board, the rudder and tiller, your mainsheet, both mast pieces, boom, boom bang and sail in one place. Before you contemplate the task of renewing your standing rigging you need to thoroughly inspect all components at close quarters to find out exactly what needs to be replaced and what items can be safely transferred to the new rig. Usually the owner's manual gives you the specifications of all the running and standing rigging. We're the first and last stop for parts and accessories. That's why I've calculated the average maintenance costs for four different types of boat below: Your specific maintenance cost will vary depending on what type of boat you have and how you'll use it. If you suspect a possible crack, try running some dye over itthe crack will become much more obvious that way. To the best of my knowledge it hasn't had a trailer until last year so the mast was up through the winter. One of the most common areas of rig failure is where the shrouds terminateboth at the mast tang or socket fitting and the wire terminal, toggle or T-ball. Parts total: $600 on average It's the best way to protect your boat in wintertime, period. Fisheries Supply is your premier supplier of sailing and rigging rope from top brands like Samson, Marlow, Robline and New England Rope. So youre sailing offshore and youre looking at the windward shroud thats taut, and thats not the one to worry about. This is a perfect example to illustrate why a thorough, yearly inspection of running rigging is important. If you use your batteries extensively, they will most likely need replacing after 3-4 years, for example, for liveaboards or full-time cruisers.

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